Two Dead In Helicopter Crash Near Charlottesville

A helicopter crashed Saturday in Albermale County, Virginia, near the city of Charlottesville, where a violent white nationalist rally was taking place.

The Bell 407 helicopter crashed seven miles southwest of Charlottesville, the FAA confirmed to CBS News. It was engulfed in flames when emergency services arrived, an official said.

Lieutenant H. Jay Cullet and Trooper-Pilot Burke Bates were killed.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating.

Emergency crews were responding, according to CBS affiliate WCAV-TV.

Helicopters were reported flying overhead in Charlottesville as Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency after what is believed to be the largest gathering of white nationalists in a decade. At least one person was killed and 19 injured when a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters. 

The helicopter was assisting law enforcement officers monitor the white nationalist rally.